Belted Kingfisher

The Belted Kingfisher is a stocky, medium-sized water kingfisher with a large head, shaggy crest, and long, heavy, pointed bill. It has a slate-blue back and head, a white collar, and a blue breast band. Females feature an additional rusty belly band. They are famous for their loud, rattling calls and hovering flight over water before plunging headfirst to catch fish.

Striking slate-blue or bluish-gray background with distinct black and white horizontal barring along the edges and a prominent white tip.

Pennaceous vane structure with tightly interlocked barbs and barbules, intact condition.

Smooth, firm, and matte texture with rigid vane structure.

Distinctive slate-blue coloration combined with bold black-and-white barring and a clean white tip on a stiff tail feather.

Near streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and marine coasts where clear water allows spotting of small fish.

Breeds across most of North America, wintering in the southern US, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Acts as an important apex aquatic predator for small fish populations and serves as an ecological indicator of clean, healthy waterways.

Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana), which is much smaller and lacks the prominent blue-gray crest and extensive barring.

Unlike many songbirds, female Belted Kingfishers are more brightly colored than males, displaying an extra chestnut belly band.

Good condition with minor wear at the very edge of the white tip.